There's an old saying that "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". It means when visiting a new place, you should try to do as the people do in place. With my experience in Shanghai's international school, I really do think it is an inspiring and wonderful saying for whoever living away from the one's country, you should respecting one's culture and trying to fit in.
First of all, people can't get benefit they're willing to get from traveling overseas without trying learning new things in there. Lots of people travel abroad to experience and learn about the country, and the best way to learn those is to act exactly the same as the one who live in there. Shanghai is one of the very international city in Asia, and I can see many Europeans and Americans here. And the biggest difference in food culture I can see a lot in Shanghai between Northern countries and Southern countries is using chopsticks. But in here, if people don't know how to use them, they can't eat famous Chinese food in some small and cheap places where compared to the size of the restaurant, the food they provide taste very good. In those places, they only give chopsticks to people. No forks. People who didn't spend few hours learning using chopsticks can't get the benefit they wished to get from Shanghai(and in this case, tasting-good Chinese food).
For the second reason, adapting other country's culture can be one of the ways to show respect to the country. If you try to learning the new culture, it can tell that you have high esteem and regard to the country. One of the cultural difference between countries is response to others' praise. Chinese often say something like "Flattering, but I'm not so good" while Americans say "Thank you very much". In my school,there are lots of Chinese, but some of them are not very interested in American culture. So one day, in a small interview a Chinese girl got failed because when the teacher praised her about her wonderful and amazing volleyball skills, she just denied. The teacher thought the girl didn't have much confidence. It is obvious that this school is geographically located in China, but it is totally based on American curriculum. If only the girl tried fit in to the American culture, this incident wouldn't have happened.
These days, many people travel and study abroad. The globalization is bringing lots of cultural crush and shock between countries. But I think the most important thing is to do when you move abroad is to adapt the new culture because it'll bring huge profit to you and at the same time, showing respect to the foreign country. Also, fitting in to the new culture is one of good way to keep your new land life fun and adventurous all the time.
First of all, people can't get benefit they're willing to get from traveling overseas without trying learning new things in there. Lots of people travel abroad to experience and learn about the country, and the best way to learn those is to act exactly the same as the one who live in there. Shanghai is one of the very international city in Asia, and I can see many Europeans and Americans here. And the biggest difference in food culture I can see a lot in Shanghai between Northern countries and Southern countries is using chopsticks. But in here, if people don't know how to use them, they can't eat famous Chinese food in some small and cheap places where compared to the size of the restaurant, the food they provide taste very good. In those places, they only give chopsticks to people. No forks. People who didn't spend few hours learning using chopsticks can't get the benefit they wished to get from Shanghai(and in this case, tasting-good Chinese food).
For the second reason, adapting other country's culture can be one of the ways to show respect to the country. If you try to learning the new culture, it can tell that you have high esteem and regard to the country. One of the cultural difference between countries is response to others' praise. Chinese often say something like "Flattering, but I'm not so good" while Americans say "Thank you very much". In my school,there are lots of Chinese, but some of them are not very interested in American culture. So one day, in a small interview a Chinese girl got failed because when the teacher praised her about her wonderful and amazing volleyball skills, she just denied. The teacher thought the girl didn't have much confidence. It is obvious that this school is geographically located in China, but it is totally based on American curriculum. If only the girl tried fit in to the American culture, this incident wouldn't have happened.
These days, many people travel and study abroad. The globalization is bringing lots of cultural crush and shock between countries. But I think the most important thing is to do when you move abroad is to adapt the new culture because it'll bring huge profit to you and at the same time, showing respect to the foreign country. Also, fitting in to the new culture is one of good way to keep your new land life fun and adventurous all the time.
